By the Pale Moon Light
by Nik216
Summary: A one shot centered around Talia and Bane's time in the League of Shadows. Rated M for the obvious...


**AN: And here we are **_**again**_**, I swear I will get back to the main story this week…but this little bit has been nagging at me for ages…so that is that : ) (Far be it for me to stop the dirty thoughts.)**

**Adultish material ahead…so there's your disclaimer…**

**And I have no idea where my current obsession with the cold weather came from…these guys need a summer tryst I think…**

**Still owning nothing at all…**

* * *

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth ~ Buddha

* * *

The full moon shone down from a completely clear, dark sky; its dazzlingly bright light seemed to find every snow covered mountain peak, setting them aglow. Winter chill swirled all around her, and the bitter cold was the only thing that managed to keep Talia al Ghul calm. She took a deep breath, enjoying the bite of the frost inside her nose before letting a long, slow exhale pass through her lips…her eyes absently watching the billowy cloud of her breath as it weaved into smoky, chaotic shapes.

"Because we simply _cannot_ little one- there will never be a way while we are here."

Talia could still hear the rumble of her friend's voice as he admonished her for her foolish behavior this morning; and it made her face flush red with a resurgence of annoyance. She had come to his room the previous night, as she had every night for the past year when he wasn't away, to give herself freely to him- as his lover, his woman. But instead of being able to relish their time together she was forced to creep away before dawn, keeping to the shadows and remaining absolutely silent. Slinking back to her room as if she was doing something wrong- something dirty and she was growing tired of it.

But what were they to do? If her father found out he would end it, quite literally, there was no doubt that the price of defiling his daughter- the holiest of beings Ra's al Ghul's temple would be excommunication, possibly death for her beloved friend. But still, even with this threat- she felt unsatisfied; and this morning that dissatisfaction had caused her to step over a line.

Her father would be gone for the next few weeks in Switzerland, to broker a number of lucrative banking and finance moves for the League and in his absence she had asked Bane to come to _her_ room the next night. So he could claim her in her own bed, and enjoy their joining for the entire night- like lovers should.

* * *

"Why do you say that, my love?" She purred as she sensuously slid her legs around one of his muscular thighs, shamelessly pressing her hot, sated flesh against him, "He'll never find out, you aren't_ scared_ are you?"

"That is ridiculous."

Talia suddenly bristled at the angry tone he took instantly after she had made the suggestion, his eyes hard in the darkness as he chided her for her naïveté, "I cannot believe that you would be so careless." Bane's voice had been little more than a growl as he removed himself from her embrace, standing up from the simple, narrow cot that served as his bed in the barracks and stormed away, "I have underestimated your ability to handle the gravity of our situation, little one, if this is how you will behave."

A snarl curled her mouth and her eyes narrowed immediately, "Our _situation_?" She hissed as she stood to meet him in the middle of the room, "Is that how you think of me? That I am an obligation you must attend to nightly, in secret?" He crossed his arms, resting them across his broad chest and said nothing in reply as she continued to stew in her fury; though admittedly it would have been easier to yell and scream at him if he wasn't nearly a foot taller than her and if they weren't both standing there naked as the day they were born, only minutes removed from the aftermath of an incredibly satisfying orgasm.

"Answer me!" Talia demanded, her voice rising in volume far beyond what was considered prudent in the current environment- and her protector's reaction was instantaneous. His large hand shot out to cover her mouth as he backed her hard against the nearest wooden wall. Indignation and fire burned in her blue gaze as she bored into his, peeling her lips away from her teeth and letting them open against the calloused flesh of his palm in an unspoken threat.

Bane looked at her for another second before turning away and leaving her standing there, "You should go." He gestured with a restless twitter of his fingers towards the door; the tension still visible in the rigid muscles of his thick shoulders and down his scarred spine as he addressed her as he would one of his fellow soldiers, "It is late and I am expected on the sparring floor in an hour to oversee the morning routines in your _father's_ absence."

She threw on her dark, silk robe without another word; refusing to acknowledge his command or his presence any longer and swept out of the room like an icy shadow.

* * *

There _were_ analogies for the look on her face as she stomped out of her room less than an hour later, dressed head to toe in the tight black sparring attire common to all of the League members. But to say that there were 'storm clouds gathering in her eyes' would have been an understatement to say the least. She was beyond a force of nature as she entered onto the large open floor of the temple's training room, taking her place among the others and standing in line.

Had they not been molded by such a strict code of behavior, the other men may have outwardly gasped at her appearance - the sacrosanct daughter of the Demonhead standing among the throngs of common soldiers was unheard of. Oh, she was no stranger to this particular morning routine; but she normally took a place beside her father and watched from the balcony above. _Her_ training was conducted in private with either Ra's himself or his personal decoy as her instructor- no one else was permitted to touch her.

Talia moved through the mock movements of each of the styles of martial arts demanded by the League's doctrine with an unparalleled elegance and fluidity, as if she was dancing. Everything from the aggressive, tiger claw movements of Fu Jow Pai to the graceful crane of Fut Gar and the precision balance of Wing Chun was executed with absolute perfection. Utilizing controlled breathing she was able to keep her thoughts and emotions under her power, that is until she allowed herself to look up to the front of the room to see Bane; standing proudly with his hands curled into the front of his black uniform.

His gaze bored into hers with a combination of dominance, genuine interest and left over rage. And she looked back- blatantly staring, challenging him and refusing to avert her eyes. He finally shook his head to dismiss her appraisal and began to stalk up and down the rows of men, correcting their positions and stances with a hard strike of his palm, or a sharp jab with his knee and a loud grunt.

She continued her movements and waited patiently, concentrating on her peripheral senses as she felt him draw nearer; until he was hovering directly behind her- the incredible heat of his body was all but scorching her through her clothes. A devious smirk curled her lip as she arched her back, far deeper than she needed to, and made a point to stick out her backside out just enough to rub against the crotch of his pants; and there, just as she suspected, even the anger and irritation left over from their argument this morning had done nothing to calm his arousal. He was hard, and _gloriously _so. As any predator would, Talia took advantage of the moment of weakness and struck again purposely exaggerating her posture; using a sweeping roll of her back to rub her ass the entire length of his cock, from base to tip- completely ignoring where she was and that they were under the eyes of the entire League. She felt him twitch to life under the restrictive fabric of the uniform in response to the stimulation and she moved to do it again when she suddenly felt a sharp kick at the inside of her ankle and a jab in the small of her back that threw her off balance.

"Correct your posture." He snarled lowly, a note of strain and irritation in his deep voice, "I will not ask you again."

Despite the years of training and control she had over her emotions, she couldn't stop the red flush of anger that suffused her collar, and no doubt crept up to dance along her neck and cheeks. She immediately stood up ramrod straight and then continued to move- her arms and legs snapping the punches and kicks off far harder than was required. She was absolutely furious with him. How _dare_ he correct her like she was nothing more than an initiate!

An hour later she was starting to feel the uncomfortable toll of her immaturity. Talia's muscles were screaming with fatigue, the buildup of lactic acid was cramping her arms and her legs with agonizing pain and there was no doubt going to be an injury if she kept it up. But she refused to stop; she wouldn't give Bane the satisfaction of seeing her quit. Though her reasoning made no difference whatsoever, he was looking right at her and the minute he saw her visibly wince in pain he was on her again.

"Stop." He barked out, "You are finished, go see the healer- now."

Talia's face hardened instantly into a scowl, "No. I am _not_ finished. I will be done when they are done."

Bane strode over to her as the insubordinate reply sounded through the quiet hall, stopping right in front of her and looming over- his massive form dwarfing hers. The men around her did not falter in their movements; but there was more than one set of eyes that darted over to watch the exchange with thinly veiled interest. The beautiful daughter of the Demonhead and the vicious beast of the Pit, squared off as if they were going to engage in more than just a verbal sparring match.

"Go," his voice was dangerously low and his eyes were hard, "_now_."

She jutted out her chin in defiance as her sapphire eyes flashed back with daring, her tone was as cold as his was menacing, "No."

Bane's hand reached out with almost inhuman speed to grab her arm, seizing it behind the elbow with two fingers and applying just enough pressure to make her cry out, he leaned his face down so his muzzled mouth was only centimeters from hers, _" I am not your father. You _will _listen to me, little one, or I will drag you out of here over my shoulder kicking and screaming and punish you like the petulant child you are behaving as."_

Talia's mouth dropped open as a gasp of shock whooshed out, both at his bold words- and the Marwari that he'd spoken. She hadn't heard her mother's tongue for _years;_ in fact the last time they had spoken it to one another was the day her father lifted him, half dead and delirious with pain, out of that god forsaken hell-hole. A hard pinch against the pressure point in her arm pulled her out of any sort of sympathy for the man standing in front of her- right now she couldn't hate anyone more. She wrenched her elbow free of his grasp as she kept her mouth nearly upon the mask, hissing her reply. _"How dare you talk to me like that; get your goddamn hands off me!"_

For the second time that day she pushed past him with a violent shove that barely moved his body and stomped off the training floor.

* * *

Her entire body was on fire, every last inch- and it was _agony._

Talia grimaced as she stood in the freezing cold air, trying in vain to get the temperature to help with the inflammation and soreness in her limbs. It certainly had helped cool her temper and now, hours removed from the training room and further still from Bane's quarters; she knew how imprudent and reckless she had behaved this morning. What had she been thinking!? Her and her protector had been keeping their love affair cautious and concealed for a reason. He was risking his life for her, to love her. She ran her hands through her long, dark hair with a sigh, wincing as a cramp paralyzed her arms.

"Ow," She mumbled to the air, unable to stop a small laugh from tumbling out of her mouth. Perhaps she deserved the pain; if not for the way she treated Bane- then definitely the way she had sent away the resident healer Dorjne-Naljorma. The poor eighty-nine year old Tibetan woman had been summoned, no doubt by her protector, to the lair of a lioness and was shocked when she showed up at Talia's bedroom door with a basket full of ointments and herbal teas only to be screamed at. Her frail hands were shaking as she tottered away as fast as her hobbled legs could take her. It was one more person that she owed a complete groveling apology to…as soon as she was well enough to move. But right now- what she wouldn't give for one of those soothing jars and the miracle cream inside of it.

The faintest knock on her door suddenly snapped her to attention, it was incredibly slight- nothing more than the barest of whispers against the thick oak; but to someone with Talia's senses it may well have been cannon fire. She cautiously moved to her door, making sure to draw her robe tight to her body; no one was allowed this close to her quarters after dark…and none of the initiates would have dared. Just as her hand reached out to grab the wrought iron handle, she heard it; a low, rhythmic and metallic noise- his breath.

The door was silent as it swung open on its hinges, and the glow of the fireplace behind her reached out to bathe half of his face in an orange light, gleaming off the mask in eerie shadows. Bane said nothing as he stepped into the room carrying the very same wicker basket full of porcelain jars belonging to the healer she'd frightened away earlier. Her stomach was uncharacteristically nervous as she watched him place the basket on the large cherry-wood chest at the foot of her sprawling bed and then survey his surroundings with an intense interest. It was strange to think that this man, who she had shared every conceivable form of intimacy with over the course of her life had never lain on an honest to goodness bed with her before. Sadness bloomed across her face as she become conscious of the fact that he had probably _never _seen frivolity and luxury like this- and if he did it was ages ago, before the Pit.

A slow breath exhaled from her mouth and she realized that she had been wringing her hands tightly, the pain and fatigue coming back into her knuckles and wrists, "I am sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier." Her voice was little more than a whisper, "My behavior was inexcusable."

Bane shook his head once to the left and walked to meet her in the center of the room, "You were irresponsible." He agreed lightly a teasing light in his eyes, "Though I was no better, little one; and I should have been." He reached out to grab her hands, lifting them to inspect the reddening of her wrists before sliding up her sleeves to examine her elbows, clicking his tongue in a gentle admonishment, "You hurt yourself."

"Yes." Talia grumbled, "My body is on fire tonight- it is a due penance, trust me."

He was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought, before turning away and walking back to the basket, rifling through its contents and pulling out a beautiful blood red blanket that he quietly spread out on top of her thick, down comforter, "Remove your robe and come here." Talia obeyed as she stepped towards him, letting the garment fall to the floor and leaving her completely nude in the cool air, her face began to turn as red as the coverlet when she formulated what he was doing. The healer would have rubbed her body down from head to toe by hand to help her recover from the strain- now her protector meant to do it.

"Lie on your stomach, little one."

She settled down on the soft surface without saying a word, trying to control her raging heart and her trembling hands as he methodically began to unpack the contents of the basket- several ornate porcelain jars filled with ointments and finally a small blue vial of essential oil. A rustling of fabric caught her ears and she turned her neck just enough to watch him take away the heavy outer layer of the black uniform- leaving him in nothing more than the thin, loose drawstring pants he normally slept it. He crawled up onto the bed and settled his knees on either side of her thighs, keeping his considerable bulk expertly balanced as he reached over for the first jar full of thick herbal cream, its earthy scent to help with circulation and begin to cool the inflammation.

This _had_ to be what heaven felt like. His hands were warm, and though he was kneading her with considerable pressure- his touch was so very gentle. Talia had to bite down on her lip hard and bury her face in the pillow to stop the moans of pure bliss that threatened to spill from her lips as feelings of ecstasy rolled up her arms, neck and back following his methodical touches. "You don't have to do this, my friend," she sighed as his fingers began to massage at the sensitive skin along her ribcage, "I will heal just fine- I owe _you_ the apology and this doesn't seem fair."

Bane mumbled his answer softly as he moved lower, "You have your penance and I have mine…" He trailed off and she felt his hands suddenly sprawl out to span the entirety of her lower back, his thumbs falling into the dip of her spine, just before the curve of her backside. Talia gasped breathless as he gripped the soft, toned flesh with a squeeze; shifting his weight and moving his hips forward to rub himself against her with a slow, hard roll. It was payback for the way she had behaved this morning, and he repeated the motion again; emphasizing the entire length of his manhood from base to tip as he groaned lowly, his voice thick and raspy with want, "You apologize to no one… least of all me. I am _your_ servant."

Talia drew a shaking breath as her body began to respond to both the words he spoke and the heat of his body; this is what she had wanted- what she had dreamed of for so long. Bane was here, in her room, on her bed- where he belonged. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder she reached behind her blindly to grab at the ties of his pants, whimpering with frustration as she tangled her fingers in the laces- until finally she managed to pull them free. "Please," she cried quietly as she turned her face to meet his stare, letting her back arch into a primitive mating position- tilting her sex to meet his, "Bane, _please_."

Her plea, despite the fact that she was begging him, may well have been a command for the way he responded- he could never deny her anything. He stood up and shed the remaining layer of his clothes and settled back on the bed behind her once again, his thighs returning to the outside of hers. Talia wriggled her legs to try to spread them open wider but found herself limited by the span of his knees. Her brow furrowed with confusion as she wondered if he'd understood what she was asking.

But the minute he reached out to grab her hips she began to understand; he tilted them upwards towards his body, while keeping her legs relatively closed and as she felt his considerable size slip into the purposely constricted space she bit down hard on her lip in anticipation. It was like nothing she'd felt before, every sensation was magnified as he slowly pushed into her- she felt every inch of his length and girth as he breached her body in a gentle, continuous thrust. The feelings were overwhelming, leaving her body quivering and her mind completely blank to everything but the new places he was bringing to life.

For a moment she half wondered if it was something in the healer's oil that was creating the intensity- it just didn't seem possible that something they had been doing for so long could feel _that_ different. Could it? Her hands fisted the blankets tightly as he finally settled deep inside her, bumping against the sensitive barrier of her cervix and remaining absolutely still so she could adjust to being stretched. He waited only a heartbeat before he began a slow intense grind, a stirring motion that kept him completely buried to the hilt in her body.

Tears began to fill her eyes as she tried to suppress the passionate wails that threatened to spill from her throat as each exquisitely torturous minute passed. She was in agony again, though this pain she would choose to be punished with for all eternity- it was all consuming and though she desperately wanted to look him in the eye to show him what he was doing to her, she didn't dare raise her face from the pillows.

An amazing heat began to burn inside of her, tightening her already tense inner muscles- a sure sign that her end was near, and it was going to rock her to the core. All it took was a perfectly placed rub of his finger underneath her body against the apex of her need to send her off into a maelstrom of orgasmic contractions. Talia's hand flailed out wildly as she reached out to grab any part of him, settling finally as her nails clawed into the muscled skin of his thigh and held on. She screamed her release into the soft, down of her bedding and she faintly heard him choke off a purely male growl of absolute pleasure as he rode out the aftershocks of her climax ; letting the constant and rhythmic flutter inside her pull him under as well. Talia felt a rush of warmth as he remained snuggly inside of her, spilling his seed in a long, slow burst.

They were both trembling as he carefully pulled out of her and tumbled his massive weight onto the mattress, gathering her tightly into his arms. Her dark hair fell around them in a chaotic tumble, cascading across the bed like a waterfall as she snuggled onto the warmth of his chest. Bane's fingers immediately found their way into the soft tresses, tangling into it with a practiced ease.

It was silent for a long moment before he spoke, his voice little more than a rumbling purr, "To answer your question from this morning, I am not afraid of your father. I fear no man. But I do fear being separated from you; I have lived through it once and it almost destroyed me. I could not bear to see _you_ hurt as I have- not if I could save you from it."

Talia lifted her head to take in his hazel eyes, and the immeasurable depth of feeling that simmered in those beautiful pools. And despite the fact that he had owned her heart since she could remember- it was at that moment she knew he owned her very essence as well. She would be nothing without him, and she vowed to herself that she would spend the rest of her life at his side.

A small crinkle danced at the corners of his eyes and she smiled immediately, knowing that there was a lighter mood that was beginning to take hold of her dearly loved protector, "However, as to the matter you so eloquently proposed this morning of wanting to take you in _your_ bed, I have to say I have thought about it- but this is not the place I desire to have you most."

"Oh?" She answered with a curious smile, her grin becoming a breathy sigh as he shifted his weight again; pulling her beneath him and wrapping her legs around his waist, "It isn't?"

"No," He breathed as he nuzzled his mask against the column of her throat, "That would be on your father's throne, before the eyes of the entire League- I want them all to know that you belong to me."

Talia bit her lip to silence the groan that rumbled through her at his utterly primitive and alpha male declaration. "Yes," she managed to whisper, "I am yours as you are mine- my love."

"Always," Bane agreed with a growl as he moved to take her again.

* * *

The hallways of the temple were completely silent, save for one man who prowled the corridors, a mercenary feared all over the world. He had been called many names in his lifetime; but now he was known as _Shytan fy al'Zl- _the demon's shadow, the personal decoy of Ra's al Ghul.

He was supposed to have accompanied his leader on his business trip to Switzerland, but at the last minute he had been ordered to stay behind; the Demonhead had a much more important use for him. And tonight as the shadow used his namesake to remain hidden when he watched the masked man enter the private rooms of Ra's sacred daughter; he knew why he had been left behind- and what he must do.

* * *

**Yea…so that's not good…Dad is not going to be happy about it…**

**Bane seemed a bit different to me as I was writing this, younger and a bit more impulsive I suppose; besides I think it would have taken him a bit longer (not to mention the hardships of his excommunication) to develop his all-consuming zen…**

**Reviews are awesome…they make my day : )**


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